African elephant Semba welcomed a female elephant calf on March 8 at Reid Park Zoo — and the baby needs a name.
The baby elephant expands the herd to five, which also includes allomother Lungile and sisters Penzi and Nandi. Semba gave birth to Penzi in 2020 and Nandi in 2014. The father of Penzi, Nandi and the yet-to-be-named calf is Mabu, who moved to a Fresno zoo in 2022.
Help name Reid Park Zoo's baby elephant, born on March 8.
The zoo's elephant care team has come up with three potential names for the adorable baby girl:Â
- Meru, in honor of Mount Meru in Tanzania
- Zalika, which means "well born" in Swahili
- Zuma, in honor of Nigeria's Zuma rock formation
You can vote for your favorite name now through 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 17 on Reid Park Zoo's website. The winning name will be announced that same day.Â
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Mama and baby are both doing well, the zoo says. Though there is no set schedule of when the calf is most visible to zoo guests, you can sometimes catch a glimpse of her in the back of the habitat.
Reid Park Zoo is located at 3400 E. Zoo Court.
Gloria was born and raised in Tucson and is a 2018 University of Arizona grad. From wildflowers to wildlife, she loves all things Tucson and hopes to share her love of the city with readers ✨
Gloria Knott
#ThisIsTucson Editor
